Getting Meltan in ‘Pokémon: Let’s Go!’ and ‘Pokémon Go’

In September, Pokémon Go players were surprised by the appearance of an unusual-looking Pokémon.

The little guy looked like a gray glob with a golden nut for an eye/head. Later, he was named Meltan, and it was revealed that he evolves into Melmetal. But how can you obtain this cute little guy?

First, you need to own either Pokémon: Let’s Go, Eevee!or Let’s Go, Pikachu! The games are essentially remakes of the first generation Pokémon games (Red, Blue, and Yellow), with a few key differences here in there. In lieu of the Safari Zone, there is now the Go Park in Fuchsia city.

First, you’ll need to connect your Pokémon Go game to your Switch. On Let’s Go, you can go into your options to connect, where it will search for a Switch system. In Go, you must do the same in your settings. Remember, Bluetooth must be on your phone for the connection to work!

Then, when you’re in Fuchsia, you must enter the Go Park building and speak to the receptionist. He’ll explain how the system works and give you a few options, one of which will be transferring. If you decide to transfer, you can then pick Pokémon from your box back on the Pokémon Go app. This work similarly to the mass transfer option, but you’ll see a Switch icon on the screen.

Once your Pokémon has been transferred to Pokémon Let’s Go, you will find a new item in your Pokémon Go bag. This is the Mystery Box. If you choose to open it, it will behave somewhat like an incense, attracting rare Pokémon to your avatar for about thirty minutes. The big difference, though, is that the only Pokémon that appear are multiple Meltans. I caught around 12 my first time opening a box; they started with CPs and 600s and eventually culminated to a final Meltan with a CP of 114. Whether this is the norm or not, I can’t be sure: Mystery Boxes can only be opened once every seven days, no matter how quickly you obtain more.

Once you have Meltans–and I recommend stocking up on them, you need 400 candies to get the little guys to evolve–you can transfer any amount you’d like over to your Let’s Go! game. They can then be caught just like any other Pokémon in the Go Park. It’s also worth noting that Meltan can only be evolved to Melmetal in Pokémon Go–so you will have to save a Meltan and put the work into a Melmetal to complete your Let’s Go Pokédex.

At this time, this is the only way to obtain a Meltan or a Melmetal in either Pokémon Go or Pokémon Let’s Go on your own, but there are rumors that other ways to obtain the mythical Pokémon will eventually be revealed, at least in the mobile game. Of course, if you’re lucky, a kind friend may have some to trade to you. Again, though, without owning one of the Let’s Go games, you’re going to be hard-pressed to get the 400 necessary candies to evolve a Meltan, unless if alternative ways of obtaining the two mythical are announced. Or you’re just really into exercising… A lot of kilometers are needed for all those candies!

It’s also worth noting, just as an aside, that Meltans don’t appear to be turning into Dittos anymore. At the very least, the likeliness of a caught Meltan revealing its true Ditto-y nature has decreased exponentially. So, if you’re still caught on that one requirement for the Mythical Discovery research quest in Pokémon Go… I feel your pain.